Reds Ladies get the New Year off to a winning start

The Women’s football season returned nationwide after its winter break and it was no different in West Cumbria for Workington Reds Ladies.

After the slow but high end to 2018 the Reds were looking to avoid a delayed hangover on Sunday, January 6 as Morecambe Ladies visited Maryport Rugby League.

It was a bright start for Morecambe putting the Reds on the back foot early on but then Reds got a hold of the game and started to control the match.

With only 13 minutes on the clock the Reds broke down the wing with Hayley Bracken driving towards the box before squaring the ball to Megan Hay. Hay then placed the ball into the corner past the Morecambe goalkeeper.

Reds were now in control of the game and spent a lot of the time in Morecambe’s half, moving the ball about quickly and looking dangerous on the attack keeping the Morecambe keeper busy, who was in top form and pulling off some great saves to keep the score at 1-0.

After 24 minutes the score turned to 2-0 after Morecambe’s goalkeeper failed to clear the ball as Sophie Birkett applied the pressure on a Morecambe back pass, The keeper miss-hit the ball and Birkett guided it towards the goal where it rolled across the goal and went in off the far post.

Morecambe came back at the Reds working the ball down the wings, pushing Eleanor Hope and Leah Cottier back while leaving Hannah Geen and Birkett tracking back in cover rather than charging forward.
It was through Morecambe’s wing play that they got back into the match.

As a ball into the middle of the Reds box produced a scramble – leaving Willow Gray on the floor and Chloe Henderson on the wrong side – as the Morecambe attacker took the opportunity to curl it past Laura Miller into the corner of the goal.

The half ended with Morecambe increasing the pressure on the Reds goal with back-to-back corners leaving it with a score of 2-1 to Reds.

Morecambe started the second half in the same fashion they ended the first however the red defence withstood this test early on.

Morecambe did manage to get an equaliser when a Reds’ goal kick was met by a Morecambe head and put back over the top of the defence where a Morecambe player was quickest to react – moving quickly into the centre the ball was lifted over Laura Miller, who managed to get a hand to the ball just not enough to deflect it over the bar, into the net to square the match up at 2 all.

A quick pace back and forth soon developed as both sides looked to gain the advantage and take all three points. Reds however looked the more dangerous on the attack with chances for Hay, Reynolds and Bracken all being stopped by either last gasp defending or crucial saves.

Hay did get manage to get the ball in the back of the net for her second goal however the celebrations abruptly ended when she was adjudged to be offside.

Morecambe started to rely more on catching the Reds strikers offside and it was only a matter of time before Reds would beat it and get the deserved winner. This came when Chloe Henderson got the ball from deep within our own half, dribbled it past the halfway line and then tried to play a through ball for Bracken to run onto however their defender just managed to cut it out but with Reynolds putting the pressure on her she failed to clear it properly and the ball went straight to Mairead Kinsella who took control of it and put the ball through for Bracken to run onto and go 1 on 1 with the Keeper, the keeper just managed to get enough on the ball to stop it from going in but Hannah Geen was quickest to react and calmly slotted the ball home.

Next week cup fever sweeps into town as Altrincham FC Ladies are the visitors in the Argyle Cup.